25 life lessons at 25: Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 26th Birthday, Happy Birthday to me! Most people dread getting year older but you know what? I kinda like it. I see Birthday’s as a new beginning, the chance to better and beat the year before by applying everything you’ve learned in the 12 months prior. The year of 25 will always be of huge significance to me as it’s the year I got married. But I think the year of 26 will contain just as much love, excitement and adventure and I am looking forward to watching it all unravel.

So to wish myself a happy birthday, I thought I’d share 25 wisdoms and life lessons from the year of 25.

Reading is good for the soul – Read literature about things you like, love and have absolutely no interested in, to become a more well rounded person. I recently fell back in love with reading and I’m on a mission to read 2-3 books a month, this year.

Take time out for yourself – I never really used to like spending time by myself until recently. Now I love it! It gives me a chance to reset and reflect. I usually have my phone on aeroplane mode when I’m in the gym and when I do classes I store my phone in a locker so that there are no distractions.

Say yes to travel – The more I travel the more I appreciate and fall in love with the world. I mananged to travel a lot last year, I think it was 12 trips in total and this year i’m going to travel some more. I’m still yet to travel to South America & Australasia but I’m hoping to tick all the continents off my list before my 28th.

You don’t need to work out hard all the time – For someone who usually trains at 100% effort 100% of the time, it came a bit of a shock when I started to get the same results, if not better whilst training at less intensity. Train smarter, not more!

Don’t be afraid to say no – One of the things that I have gotten better at over the years is saying no to anything that doesn’t serve me and it feels so good!

Be kind to everyone you meet – EVERYONE!

No one can make you feel bad about yourself unless you let them – I actually learned this a few years ago but it’s a motto that I’ll continue to carry through with me for the rest of my life, so I thought I’d add it here!

Just because you can’t see something happening, doesn’t mean it’s not happening – That goal you’re working tirelessly towards, if it ever feels like it’s not happening, always remember this: just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. You don’t know what the universe is going to serve you next or who is watching you hustle. So, keep grinding because it’s already happening. You just can’t see it.

Time is money – Time is the most valuable currency in the world. Spend it wisely. Do that thing you’re always putting off. Go see your family when you’ve got a weekend spare. Spend your time like it’s the most valuable asset you own, because it is.

People come and go- we all hold on to friendships from our childhood and although its nice having friends from your school and college days, everyone grows up. And we grow into different people which sometimes causes you to grow a part. But don’t worry, I believe everyone’s in your life for a reason so don’t be afraid if people come and go.

Don’t compare yourself to others- Just don’t do it.

Take social media with a pinch of salt – Social media is a huge part of my career and although I try to remain as transparent as possible, I know that I only show the best parts. I don’t show the grind, blood, sweat and tears, mostly because you probably wouldn’t be interested in it anyway, so like everyone else on social media I tend to just show the end result. So take it with a pinch of salt and never underistimate how much work has gone into the content created or opportunities presented on social.

Family is everything – Whether its your blood relatives or friends whom have become family, the older I get the more I realise that my life and all that is positive in it is because of them. I am so thankful for the people who I call my familia.

There’s nothing wrong with Pyjama days – Ever wake up and just feel like spending the day eating everything and doing nothing? I try to keep one Saturday or Sunday a month free to do just that. And I don’t feel guilty either because I work hard! I’m allowed to have a day off from the world if I want to.

Kindness goes a long way – Especially when you’re kind to a stranger. I always help people who are struggling with their cases on the London Underground because let’s be honest, we all over pack!

Live your truth – Being honest is something I’ve always tried to practice but the concept of living your truth is something that I’ve only recently come across. It means to live your most truthful self and be open. Instead of living up to societies expectations and definitions, live your truth and completely own it.

Don’t forget about the help that got you where you are – Now that I am a little more progressed in my career, I am always looking to help out and offer advise to those who are just starting out in there’s. So many of my seniors took the time out to help me develop and refine my skills. It’s my duty to do the same.

Its ok to change career paths – I don’t know why society has conditioned us to believe that we are only good at one thing and therefore should only have one career. I have so many interests and passions, it would be a waste of talent not to try to pursue the ones that could actually become a career. You may go to law school and one day finding yourself wanting to become a dancer. Or you might work as English teacher and then find an overwhelming urge to become a yoga instructor. As long as you’re happy and feel like you’re moving forward, I’m a big believer in changing careers as many times as you like. We were not put on this earth to do just one thing.

It’s ok to not know what you’re doing with life- Hands up if you don’t really know what you’re doing with life (my hands up!) Life is full of surprises so I tend not to have it all planned out in my head. My plan is just to keep working hard and moving forward.

Always check the weather before you head out- especially if you live in the UK. I cant tell you how many times the rain ruined my hair last year.

Live life at your own pace- It seems that absolutely everyone is either getting married, buying a house, having a baby or getting a huge promotion at the moment. But no matter what people around me are doing, I always say “Trust the timing of your life”. Life becomes a lot easier when you’re living life at your own pace and just trusting the timing? Greatness has no expiry date.

Mum’s know best- Mum really does know best. It’s as simple as that

Game of Thrones is a must watch- I wrongly judged Game of Thrones a couple of years back. I thought it was just weirdly supernatural. Yes it does have the supernatural elements but its one of my favourite shows on TV! That and Power. Gotta love a bit of Power

Time is passing by, really fast- Can you remember when you were younger and you would see your relatives or your parents friends who’d say “You’ve gotten so big! How old are you now? 13?! Wow!”. It used to always drive me mad but now I find myself doing it! I guess I only realise just how much I have aged when I see someone who I thought of as being “so young” only to discover that they aren’t so young anymore. That’s when I realise just how quickly time is passing by,

Appreciate who you are and what you have- The year of 25 is where I think I learned to really appreciate what I have, instead of wanting more. It’s the year I started to say “you know what, Tashi? You’re doing just fine. You’ve got enough. Start being thankful for the life you’ve been able to build”. Self-acceptance is one of the major keys to success and happiness, and since I’ve discovered it everything seems to be falling in to place.

I hope you find something in here to help you have a fantastic year and Happy Birthday to you for when the day comes!